Kenneth Okonkwo visits Atiku months after dumping Peter Obi

Kenneth Okonkwo, former spokesperson for the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Organisation, recently visited Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the last election.

Okonkwo, a veteran actor turned politician, had been a vocal supporter of Peter Obi during the 2023 elections. However, he took to Instagram to explain the reason behind his meeting with Atiku.

“It’s a privilege and honour to be invited by His Excellency Atiku Abubakar for a consultative meeting on how best to chart a new course for our beloved country. The situation in Nigeria today requires the cooperation of every well-meaning Nigerian to ensure that our country is restored to its path of greatness,” he wrote.

Okonkwo parted ways with the Labour Party last year, citing Obi’s failure to build the party into a strong, grassroots-driven platform capable of leading Nigeria out of its leadership crisis. He accused Nigeria’s struggles of stemming from corrupt and incompetent leaders, stating that real change would require a well-structured political organization.

“After the 2023 general election, Nigerians, including me, had high hopes for the Labour Party. I believed that Peter Obi will seize the momentum and build a solid party of integrity that will have the solid base that we need to overthrow these kakistocrats and kleptocrats,” Okonkwo had said.

He expressed disappointment that Obi did not make the internal reforms he had hoped for, despite his continued defense of the LP candidate.

“However, I continued in his defence believing he will still privately bring the needed solution to LP problems, (but) to no avail,” he added
As for his political future, Okonkwo previously stated that he would explore new political alliances but had no immediate plans to join the APC or PDP.

“With this declaration, I am free to embark on negotiation and consultation with every like-minded people to determine the next step in my political journey, which does not include joining APC or PDP for now but includes, and is not limited to, consolidation of the Labour Party,” he explained.